Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-01-19
HE MADE NO CONFESSION OF HIS GUILT.
SYMPATHY NOT DUE TO THE PRISONER, BUT
TO THE GOVERNOR.

SYMPATHY NOT DUE TO THE PRISONER, BUT
TO THE GOVERNOR.
Thos. J. Cluverius, the betrayer and MUIR
dsrer of his cousin Fannie Lillian Madison,
was haaged in the jail-yard in Richmond,
few minutes after o'clock last Friday af-
ternoen. He was expecting to reprieve up
to a very short time before he assembled the
scaffeld, and it may be that he expected it
after he stood on the fatal trap, and he made
no confession of his guilt as many supposed
he would; but we have never been OF that
number, for we can imagine number of
reasons which would, with man of his
character, determine him not to do So
Many who judge him by the stanard OF their
own consciences, instead of that of callsus
and hardened sinner and cold bloeded muir
derer, may be influenced to doubt his guilt
from the fact that he protested his innocence
to the last, because it is impossible for them
to believe that they could do SO under such
circumstances if really guilty. His whole
life has been one of deception and hypocrisy,
and he maintained the consistency OF his
character to the end. He could tell the
most glaring falsehoeds as he did time and
again, with seemingly no cemPunction at
all. AS compared with him Ananias was
model of truth He was the most heartless
criminal that ever figured in the arDals Of
crime in all the history of Virginia, and
TO US it seems wonderful. and by no means
creditable, that so many of both sexes should
feel sympathy for him when receiving the
Just reward of his criminal conduct. He
deserved not sympathy, but reprobation ana
lust punishment Gov. Lee, we have no
doubt, being a man of sensbility, and feel
ing deeply the responsibility imposed upon
him, suffered moro acutely ana was entitled
to more sympathy than the prisoner, for
whilst he was anxious and diligently sought
to and some fact or evidence that would
enable him. in consistency with his duty,
to reprieve the prisoner, his search was un-
availng, and he felt it his duty-his I'M
pleasant duty-to decline reprieve. he
had q reprieve written SO that it might be
uscU 0VGu dL euG ldoS ohy if1Ne
should be ascertained, even at that time,
that would enable him to use it without
doing violence to the duty and obligation
imposed on him by his position.
We have not doubt of the guilt of Gu
verius, but whether guilty or not, as the
Indec-Appedl says, "there can he no intel
ligent condemnation Of Gov. Lees part in
the matter. Cluverius had fall, fair aud
impartial trial, and an overwhelming ma
i.rity of the csurt Of appeals pronounced
the testimony az inst him sufficient to jus
tify conviction. The governor gave the ease
a patient and faithful investigation, and
every opportunity was afforded the prisoner
and his friends to adduce new testimony in
his behalf. The new evidence was not
Forthcoming and the convicted man, az far
as human sense of justice can decide it, has
met deserved fate. II gnilty, his crime
was peculiarly revolving, brutal and coward
ig, and the extreme penalty of the law
which overlook him was wholly inadequate
as a matter Of punishment, though it may
be terrible enough to deter other monsters
from repeating his crime against society
and society's main prop-the virtue aad
sanctity of womanhood.n
Our visws of the conduct of Gov. Lee, the
character of the trial, and the guilt Of Clu
verius, are clearly, forcibly, and suecinetly
expressed in the following article from the
Baltimore Anlericdn:-
"A great deal of nerve was required by
the Governor of Virginia to carry out the
sentence of the law in the case OF Cluverius.
There are many people who are opposed On
principle or sentiment to capital punish
meut. These always come out strongly in
favor Of any guilty wretch as soon as Tie
sentence is passed upon him. Then, there
is another class-a large class that feels that
it is evidence OF great natural astuteness
aud subtlety OF intellect to refuse to believe
evidence. They think that the ordinary
mau who judges Of ordinary events in q
common-sense way, is always wrong on a
jury in q capital case. They delight e.
pick what they consider fiue flaws III the
testimony, and to withhold their belief be
cause they do not feel satisfied upon a Ger
tain pont-a point ordinarily proved to
supertluity. These, Also always come cut
strong, and sign petitions and head delega
biuIio W. ViSlV tliO 0OsSIbCis AS lSdl IIlO-
tive is admiration of their own ingenuity in
discovering flaws where none exist Then,
too, there is large class of people who
think that they take lefty stand when they
say that they would ''never convict upon
circumstantial evidence All these were
opposed to hanging Cluverius. Now, cir
cumstantial evidence is often the most con
elusive and unshakable evidence in the
world. Men lie. Witnesses forget But
facts tell tale that admits of no denial
The facts in the ease of Clnverius are the
most conclusive and unanswerable. They
tell q story of the heartless betrayal of a
young girl, of bringing her to Richmond, OF
carrying her to the reservoir and killing hcr
there-a story of cold -heartedness and cruel
ty unparalleled The proof is tenfold more
than sufficient, and there is literally no de-
fence at all. Nothing except the steady
denial of the murderer and his unshaka bic
nerve have ever been set up in his defence
His own statements denied nothing essen.
tial, and yet it left out of sight the fact that
he had keen with Lillian Madison all day.
He had remarkable self control. His
fortitude up to the last and his hope of 10
lease were phenomenal But these very
traits show that he might have committed
that eowardly and cruel murder. He WAS
capable of all the heartlessness and delber-
ate atroclty that the crime required.
If capital punishment is to DO abolished,
30 let it be; but 80 long as the law Furnishes
cold blooded murder with death, the sen
tsnce in the case like this should be carrie
oat. 1t is the best piece of hanging that
has boen done in Virginia since Jeter Phil
lips was hanged-en eircumstantial evi-
dence.
Gov. Lee has acted with conscientiou s.
LESS and nerve in upholding law against
ssntimsntality.
The Interstate Commerce Bill passed
The Senate on the 18th instant-yeas 81
nays 70; absent 26. Among the absent
were both Senators from Virginia.
Ga the following day, Mr.. Crisp, Of
Georgia, presented the report of the con.
ference between the two Houses On the
Tha ~ r.